


Got me in the mood (for love)

by spoiltmilk



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Gangs, M/M, Prostitution, Taehyung plays a huge part, Violence, he drives daniel insane, hunter! daniel, jihoon is honestly a brat, kitsune! jihoon, or gumiho! jihoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-20 13:57:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16557068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spoiltmilk/pseuds/spoiltmilk
Summary: Daniel had been training to join the Hunters' Association since he witnessed the cruel massacre that took place in his village when he was seven, the same one that took his family's life. When he was finally handed an initiation mission that would prove him worthy of a place within the association's inner circle, he was sure he could finally set to action the quest of vengeance he'd been brewing for years.Until he met his target-- the legendary Gumiho who turned out to be a boy not older than him, with the deepest scowl and the prettiest eyes that held more defiance Daniel had ever seen, forced into prostitution in a brothel that offered humans a taste of what they deemed unnatural.It was the first time Daniel had to question his loyalty to the cause he'd believed in all his life.





	Got me in the mood (for love)

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by six of crows! (hehe something I've always wanted to write, really) but instead of grisha we have the usual fantasy au mix-- vampires, werewolves, succubi, e.t.c
> 
> i'm not used to writing fantasy, so this is also started as a pathetic excuse for me to dabble in a new genre as well! please enjoy :>

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel kept his chin tucked into his coat, hands buried deep into his pockets as he weaved through the crowd, dodging bodies sticky with sweat and glaring at vendors yelling to attract attention to the wares displayed on their mats. He only had one destination in mind and it wasn't one he enjoyed thinking about. As he neared the red light district, the lights in the buildings dimmed but the throng of people only swelled to a larger size. Every once in a while, the person walking in front of him would stop pacing and look around to marvel at the acrobats performing on thin lines strung up from one building to another, their lithe frames garbed in nothing but thin layers of silk that did little to cover them up. But they served their main purpose well-- to further entice people by making their motions appear smoother and more liquid.

 

A lot of these men and women never really wander into a whore house of their choice. They were simply here to  _disappear_ , and the red light district made it easy enough for them to vanish amidst the loud music and glitter that seemed to coat  _everything_ here-- the stone pavements, the bodies of tourists and visitors and "upright" people hiding their identities behind elaborate lacquered masks.

 

He grunted at the man he almost rushed into and cut further down the road before taking a left towards the bigger, more high-end brothels. The tall buildings were all connected either by strings with glowing, orange lanterns suspended from them or sky bridges lit up with candles curling around their pillars. It was all a false facade that the district threw in a lot of money for to leave people in awe when they trailed by at night, unknowing of what it actually looked like in the mornings when all the festivities left and the only things that walked the bare, decrepit streets were ghosts and shells of people who worked at the brothels the night before.

 

When his eyes caught onto the sight of a particular house with a balcony jutting out front where their show whores lounged and laughed, delicate hands and fingers clutching stems of what looked like wine but was only water, he knew he had found it.

 

One of the boys who looked too young to be in this industry smirked at Daniel, body shifting slightly to allow the silk to slip off his shoulder a little bit more, beckoning him closer with his dark red eyes and gleaming fangs. When he realized that Daniel wasn't interested, he turned his gaze elsewhere to seduce another poor passer-by.

 

 _Vampire_ , Daniel thought grimly, hands already hovering over the inner pocket of his coat where he usually kept his gun, only to remember that he had to follow specific instructions to strip himself of all weapons before coming here. He didn't like it-- it made him hyper-aware of the fact that here he was, surrounded by living monsters without a single blade or gun or protect himself against their venom.

 

He wanted more than anything to shoot the vampire dead but he wasn't here for that. Tonight, he was here for the Gumiho and  _only_ the Gumiho.

 

The double doors leading to the devil's den were already thrown and propped open with what seemed like an endless stream of people pouring in and out of the building. The  _clients_ leaving were all flushed, red faces content and lit up with satisfied grins, probably patting themselves on their backs for spending their money right.

 

Daniel shouldn't be surprised about the amount of people favoring this brothel when there are so many other, but he just couldn't fathom why they would be willing to lay down next to spirits and dirty succubi and whatever other "wonders" the house had on their payroll. But perhaps it was exactly their monstrous, ugly nature that drew people closer for them to devour. After all, everyone sought out the unnatural, the weird. And even if they detested these creatures as much as Daniel did, maybe some of them were curious enough about how it'd feel like to have sex with monsters to allow themselves to be lured into actually doing it.

 

Soon after, Daniel quickly learned that it was more hectic inside than it was outside.

 

There were workers everywhere-- carrying trays of drinks and hanging on the arms of potential clients and climbing poles in the middle of the space. This brothel got most of their income from people who fancied being in control, people who liked holding switches and keeping their whores on a leash. Naturally, the dancers executing their routine on their individual circular stages were confined by bars that rose from the platforms to the ceiling. There were devices fixed onto their cages that displayed the captured creatures' values where the people could start bidding from. As much as Daniel harbored a strong dislike for these beings, he couldn't deny that the humans were wrong to make money off of them. Especially when most of them arrived on slaver ships, forced into contracts written in languages they couldn't understand.

 

"You're nervous," remarked a velveteen voice behind him. He didn't jump, but he hadn't exactly expected  _conversation_ either. Whipping around, he narrowed his eyes onto the succubus staring at him, moving slightly to the beat of the music playing in the background. "Hello," she greeted with a smirk.

 

Lips pursed into a line, Daniel decided he best keep his mouth shut and hands to himself if he didn't want to start trouble tonight. But she pressed on, eyes curious and eyebrows arched.

 

"I know you're looking for someone."

 

"How are you so sure?" he said as calmly and and smoothly as he could, but his voice came out rougher than he expected and it sounded more like a demand even to his ears. Her lips curled in delight, relishing in the satisfaction of being able to pry some talk out of him. That was when he knew that he didn't need to put up false pretense of being a client around this woman, whoever she was. " _Demon_ ," he snarled.

 

"I've heard worse," she hummed, fingernails trailing down the front of his coat, "but if you want to stay and find whoever you're searching for, you better start learning how to play nice." She leaned in, her heavy perfume invading his space. "And  _don't_ piss me off."

 

He was tempted to shove her away but even the thought of initiating contact with her, skin to skin, caused a wave of repulsion to wash over him.

 

She smiled slyly, proceeding to run her fingers up the side of his face. To people far away, this wouldn't be a rare side in a brothel-- a worker trying to seduce a customer into climbing into her bed, cooing pretty words into his ear. But Daniel knew that she was dangerous. And unfortunately, most of the dangerous ones happened to be helpful when it came down to his line of work, so he suppressed every urge to hurt her with much grimace.

 

"Good boy." Her hand dropped back to her side harmlessly and Daniel stared at it like he wanted to cut it off. "Now, I can tell you want something. To  _find_ someone, like I said. And I can help you with that. I'm very good at collecting and gathering information from my clients, you see. Do you need my help?"

 

Reluctantly, he swallowed his pride and nodded. So far, he'd not yet seen any Gumiho trails lying around. If they really existed and was contained within this brothel like his boss had told him, shouldn't the brothel's procurer be flaunting them everywhere for publicity and more business? 

 

" _Yes_."

 

She beamed, then hooked her arm around his, guiding him towards an unoccupied booth in a busier section of the house. "Here's a tip-- people generally think that dark corners are more private, the perfect place to talk dark business and handle shady matters, but all it does is attract more attention to you. It makes you look guilty, like you have something to hide. Here, this is what we call private-- out in the open, where people only see a whore and their to-be customer of the night.  _Now_ we can talk," she declared, face content with her chin resting on folded hands. "And if you want me to help, you'll have to know the difference between a succubus and a vixen. It's downright degrading that you called me a demon."

 

 _You're all demons to me_ , he thought.

 

"If you're a vixen, then you must know where the Gumiho is, right?" he asked, eyes serious and gaze riveting.

 

"Loosen up, sweetheart. You look like you're about to have a seizure," she giggled, no doubt securing more time.

 

His suspicion towards her only grew and he leaned back against the plush upholstery of the seats. "You don't sound like you're from other territories."

 

"You're right," she confirmed. Just then, a silver-eyed waiter passed by and she waved him down, plucking a drink from his tray after much deliberation. Daniel passed down the offer. As he got a good look at the waiter, he started wondering if this house specifically hired its workers based off looks alone. After he was gone, her eyes automatically flitted to him as she cocked her head almost innocently. "Is our dear Jinyoung your type of boy? Unfortunately, he's only a waiter here. Too young to be doing things I do."

 

"You haven't told me your name," he said, changing the subject to get the thought of Jinyoung off his mind.

 

"You haven't earned it yet," she replied, waving him off. "But as I was saying, I  _am_ from around here. The slums, to be specific. I was only fifteen when I joined the house as a mere dancer, nothing more. When I was finally old enough, I knew that the only way I could keep surviving was to use my gifts to earn myself a living. Besides, as a vixen, it's sort of what I do. Except, I do it while my victims are still alive. The result isn't as satisfying for me, but," -- she shrugged it off as she stirred her drink with a straw-- "it's what I have to do."

 

Another waiter came by, this one younger-looking than the last. She barely acknowledged him save for the side-glare she directed at him that sent him scurrying off in a hurry.

 

"You don't like them. The new ones," he observed.

 

For a moment, Daniel thought he finally had her, that he'd touched on a sore spot when her mask wavered and her eyes widened just a little, but she recovered quickly enough. She laughed her pretty laugh and tucked a long strand of straight black hair behind her ear. If she weren't a vixen, he might've assumed she was interested in him.

 

"You're an observant one, Daniel," she said in the same voice she used before, but this time, it carried a sharp undertone that told Daniel he was threading a dangerous territory. She was aware that she had the upper hand now.

 

"How do you know my name?"

 

"Because, Daniel ssi, dear Mr. Ong gives us-- the  _veterans_ \-- special care by making us memorize faces we have to be careful around. The others might heed his advice and shy away from hunters such as you, but this is how I work. I exchange insider information, I stand on neither the hunted's side nor the hunters, and buy my own safety with secrets and confessions made while these vile people are drunk and stupid from drinking in the pleasure I give them." She leaned forward, flashing her rows of pearly teeth in an almost-menacing way. "I know who and what you are. You're a class A hunter, currently training to join the HA's right hand men and  _this_ \-- finding the Gumiho-- is your initiation mission, am I right?"

 

He angled his head, debating on whether he should engage her in a fight to ensure her silence. "Yes, you're right," he managed as calmly as he should. "And you're not going to tell anyone, or else--"

 

"Do  _not_ threaten me, Daniel. I don't like it. Need I remind you that you need my help?"

 

They were quiet for a moment before the vixen broke the silence again. "If you're a veteran yourself in your own line of work, then you'd know why I hate these new people. Clients like young, pretty things they've never had a taste of before. They come here, never suffering the way I did when I was a newbie myself, and money and customers immediately gather at their feet like they're worth being worshipped. And you know what? The Gumiho is no different. Every other day, I'd meet someone like  _you_ seeking his services out. But I never tell them where he is."

 

"Are you saying you won't help me?"

 

"No. I'm going to tell you. But there's a payment."

 

He poked at the inside of his cheek with his tongue, then tapped his fingers twice on the table. "How much?"

 

Her lips curled, smirk returning. "It's not money I want, Daniel ssi. You're going to join the right hand men soon, and that, to me, sounds like you'd be in a position of power. Where you could be useful to me. What do you say? Information for information-- it's a simple trade and a very reasonable one. If I didn't like you, I would be demanding more."

 

There was no way of confirming that statement but Daniel didn't hesitate before agreeing. The sooner he got this mission done, the sooner he could crawl out of this hellhole without choking on this vixen's fucking perfume.

 

"Tell me where he is," he demanded.

 

"Not so fast. You'll need to acquire something as a special pass of some sort to prove that you're to be trusted. The security around Gumiho isn't lenient. He's a possession to be protected at all times. Whores like us," she scoffed, "are not." Slowly, she removed one of the golden pins keeping her bun in place and dropped it into his waiting hands. "Fortunately for you, this doesn't require extra  _payment_."

 

He examined the accessory held between his fingers, admiring the intricate detailing on it. If this was what their procurer allowed the "whores" to wear, just what sort of outrageous items would adorn the Gumiho himself? "What am I supposed to do with this?"

 

Her gaze was already lingering at her next target, a clear sign that their conversation was nearing the end.

 

"Take it to the counter and ask to see the Gumiho. Whoever is on duty will deny his existence, but you need to press on and insist to see him. They'll ask for a pass and when they do, hand the pin over."

 

Without further delay, he stood up and executed a small bow in her direction.

 

She looked on with amusement alight in her cat-like eyes.

 

"What a gentleman you are, Kang Daniel ssi. I look forward to meeting you again in the near future."

 

He ignored the last part of her comment, then strode towards the counter with a sort of purpose in his steps that made people clear a path for him immediately. The counter, on this particular night, was manned by another of what the vixen would call a newbie, nervous doe eyes and thick black hair curling around his nape. His olive skin and thick sheaf of dark hair gave away the fact that he wasn't from around here, not to mention the fact that the poor boy's lips were practically trembling with fear.

 

"I'm here to see the Gumiho," Daniel said before the boy had the chance to recite his rehearsed script.

 

"We have no Gumiho here, sir," he managed to say with a thick, foreign accent weighing down his words.

 

Daniel wondered if the boy was a slave.

 

"Don't waste my time. I'm here to see the Gumiho and I'm not leaving until I do," he stated firmly. "Before you try and lie to me about the Gumiho not being here, let me assure you that I have  _contacts_ telling me that he does, and I'm here for an important meeting you're about to make me miss."

 

The boy gulped, eyes darting around frantically before giving in, slumping over in his position behind the desk. "F-forgive me, sir, I'm new around here. I would need a--"

 

Daniel slapped the pin down on the desk to create a dramatic effect that wasn't necessarily needed but he knew would speed up the process. The boy jumped and quickly gripped the pin and disappeared beneath the desk before reappearing with a new item in hand: and keycard with gilded edges that would undoubtedly grant Daniel special access to the secret services the brothel offered.

 

"Enjoy your time with the Gumiho, sir. He's on the sixth floor, the room furthest to the right from the waiting area. His door will indicate that he's busy, but all you do is swipe the card once against the reader and wait. Thank you for visiting us, sir," he stuttered and when it was over, Daniel was glad that he didn't have to suffer through another second of talking with this boy anymore.

 

He left without saying thank you. He knew that'd draw unwanted attention to him because people didn't show signs of gratitude in this district. The whores and workers here, in the eyes of the general public, didn't deserve that kind of respect. Bowing to the Gumiho had already hurt his pride but he knew that someone like her was not to be crossed or rubbed off in the wrong way. In  _any_ way.

 

He parted the heavy drapes obscuring the entrance to the back where the rooms were, heading for the lifts instead of the stairs which normal clients had to take.

 

When he reached his floor, he stepped out onto plush carpeting which was still in pristine condition considering the number of people who treaded these floors every single day. Just like any other brothel, the hallways were dark and the waiting area had a few settees positioned around a small table piled high with cakes dripping in ivory icing swimming in a sea of roses and tiger lilies. There were a few workers draping themselves over the seats while nibbling on the small snacks but few actually paid any heed to Daniel's presence. They were talking in hushed voices, fingers pointing discreetly in the general direction of the Gumiho's den.

 

As he was told by the olive-skinned boy at the desk, there was a sign hanging from the knob that indicated that there was a client currently seeing the whore occupying the room.

 

Carelessly, he swiped the car against the reader and waited for the telltale  _click_ of the door which came not long after.

 

 _This is it._   _Meet him, locate his weakness, take a tail._

 

It didn't sound too hard, but he knew that the Gumiho wasn't going to make it easy for him. He'd slain bloodthirsty vampires before, taken down werewolves stalking their prey late at night, killed many succubi who charmed their way into unwilling victims' beds. But those were all creatures who had committed  _crimes_. Unregistered monsters. The ones who worked at brothels, however, had jobs and were under contracts. It technically wasn't legal to hurt creatures protected by the Law but that was exactly his job-- find the Gumiho's fault no matter how small and take away a tail as punishment.

 

He detested these beings but even he hesitated to jump in on this mission. The higher-ups talked him into doing it, pushing and prodding and insulting until Daniel's pride smarted and he had to accept it to prove himself worthy of the position they were offering him. He  _knew_ why they wanted the tail so badly. To prove something, as well. That they were in control over these creatures, that they lorded over the city and will forever be better. It made him disgusted to think that, in a way, by doing their biddings, he was akin to the people frequenting this brothel as well.

 

"I swear to god, I've been behaving for the past few weeks," screamed a panicked voice from inside when Daniel pushed the door ajar. "Look, I'm not going to be so tame this time! You think you can  _control_ me, don't you?" Daniel heard the sound of metal scraping against metal. He inspected the room with something he had to grudgingly admit was awe. The walls were all bare save for the occasional lights casting a soft glow around every other item in the room. There was a switch by the entrance that gave Daniel the power to control the brightness but he left it untouched. The floor was dark wood and in perfect condition-- there was not a single scratch on its shiny, polished surface.

 

On the small rack next to the door, so simple it almost went unnoticed, there was a pair of small white slippers arranged neatly on the topmost level. Daniel bent down to remove his own shoes after much deliberation.

 

The Gumiho must really be a treasured asset to the procurer if he got a room this large, all to himself. It was spacious enough to be called an  _apartment_ , even. Made comfortable enough to suit the tastes of a noble. The sitting space had a loveseat the color of ripe persimmons and there was a matching armchair not far away. Cushions lay littered on the floor and the rest of the furniture all looked  _expensive_.

 

Daniel couldn't help but wonder why the Gumiho wasn't on display yet-- being such a rare creature, it was already clear enough that he'd guarantee at least a  _double_ in this business' profits.

 

Was he maybe just exclusively available for Mr. Ong himself? A favorite their procurer couldn't bear the thought of sharing with dirty hands and wet mouths?

 

He ventured deeper into the room, past the carved wooden flowers diving the rooms, drawn closer to where the voice had sourced from earlier.

 

"Don't come any closer!" the voice warned him, raising in a steady crescendo.

 

There was only one more door standing between the both of them now. The door was thin and made of paper and it came as a surprise to Daniel that he couldn't make out the silhouette of the Gumiho yet. When he placed his hand on the rice paper panel, the boy must've caught the action because he shouted out loud again, " _Stop!_ You know I won't be of much value to you once you take another one off." The boy was trying to steady his voice to make what he thought was a reasonable argument for a business-minded man. "I'm supposed to be a nine-tailed fox, not a--"

 

Daniel cut the boy off by sliding it open quickly to reveal a figure huddling in the corner holding a sharp blade in his hand.

 

Daniel had seen gorgeous people, creatures before. As his job required, he needed to travel to different territories to pull out witches and monsters from their hiding spots and more often than not, they turned out to be ridiculously stunning when he found them. He was told by his mentors that they were all unnatural because their beauty came from frequent abuse of their abilities.

 

But the Gumiho left him awestruck.

 

His hair was as smooth and intensely colored as a raven's feathers, his onyx eyes the prettiest shape, standing out against the flawless canvas of his skin, which had the appearance of marble glazed over with honey under the orange lighting. His mouth was slightly open, crimson and glossed over to accentuate their doll-like shape. He was dressed in a similar manner to the other prostitutes in the whore house-- scraps of silk held together by a large bow cinching his tiny waist. But the ones he wore were grey and obviously more lavish and costly, tailored to perfect the effect they wanted for him. Like he was the moon with silver clouds clinging to him, framing him like he was the angel of death.  _Which_ , Daniel thought,  _is technically true._

 

As the Gumiho trembled, Daniel's gaze roved over the ridiculously exposed expanse of skin the boy's silks were pulled down to show. There was a string of small, glittering pearls sitting around his neck, the necklace matching the earrings that dangled from his ears. The boy looked luxurious.

 

"Who are you?" he demanded, brandishing the small blade he was holding like it was enough to protect him from this intruder. "Are you a new helper? Another one of Ong's bitches?"

 

"For someone who's at a disadvantage right now, you're pretty bold."

 

The Gumiho growled and held his chin up high. "I'm not another one of these prostitutes here. I don't belong."

 

"Then why  _are_ you staying?" Daniel tried his luck. Maybe he didn't have to resort to violence get information. "Put that down, you're going to hurt yourself."

 

"Why?" the boy scoffed, but dropped it to his feet anyway, its edge bloodied. "Afraid it'll scar and I won't be so pretty anymore after? What are you doing here? I've done everything Ong asked for. If you're here for some entertainment, I'll alert him. I'll see that you get your eyes carved out and fingers cut off you if so much as lay a finger on me," he hissed viciously. But Daniel could tell that they were nothing but empty threats. The Gumiho thought he was a new lackey, someone easy to fool into thinking he was in danger.

 

Daniel took a confident step forward and as he'd expected, the creature recoiled immediately.

 

"I'm a client," he lied.

 

"How funny-- I thought Ong deemed me too ugly to show off just yesterday," the Gumiho replied drily. "I know what you're trying to do. You're not the first one to play this trick on me. I may be new to this godforsaken city but I've heard how things work around here. You're all fucking  _monsters_."

 

" _How funny_ ," Daniel mimicked, "you're calling me a monster when you're one yourself." His eyes traveled to the twitching twin charcoal ears atop the boy's head.

 

The Gumiho wrapped his arms around himself defensively, almost like he was forming a barrier. "The real monsters never look monstrous," he claimed quietly. "The real monsters are people like you, who capture and treat us like play-things just because you think we're unnatural. Because you can't understand us. You're all cowardly. You can't stand the thought of us being better so you find a way to antagonize us and force us into submission, into being whores who spread their legs for the same people who claim we disgust them."

 

"What about the villages you've burnt down to nothing? The innocents you kill and devour?" Daniel's hands were shaking with the sheer amount of anger that ran in his veins, fueled by the memories of his childhood, the last ones he had of his family.

 

"The people we're forced to kill in self-defense! The villages whose inhabitants try to burn us alive at stakes," he retorted. "You can't trap a dog and expect it not to fight back and try to survive. It's _instinct_."

 

"No, you're worse than a dog," Daniel spat.

 

The Gumiho took in a deep, strained breath as his eyes fell to the floor like he'd given up. That was when Daniel noticed how his breathing pattern was irregular, his pants coming out hard in stutters. "You're not one of them," the Gumiho realized, "who sent you here? No-- who  _let_ you in?"

 

 _Careless_ , Daniel chided himself.It had always been his weakness. When people ignited his anger-- whether it was intentional-- he'd lose all reins he had on his emotions and show too much, leave too many trails. He shouldn't be here. At least, not now. He'd managed to get a Gumiho sniffing around him right now, suspicions raised and alert.

 

" _Demon_ ," he called the boy. The same thing he'd called the vixen.

 

But there was only a laugh that served as a reply. "That's it? That's all you came here to do?" He finally looked up at Daniel through his lashes, almost like he was daring the hunter to come closer. Daniel would have never expected to see so much defiance on such a sweet face. Most monsters he'd faced before put up fights but their fire always burned out as quickly as they were lit. "You  _are_ just a client, aren't you. The protestors who want to keep us off the streets, off the humans who come in here to get their money's worth. But at the end of the day, none of you can really achieve much. Did the vixen give you her pin as a pass to torture me?"

 

The Gumiho hadn't hit the mark yet, but he was getting close. Way closer than Daniel wanted him.

 

Before Daniel could think twice, he launched forward, body poised for a fight. He was without his armor and weapons but he had had physical fights like these before. He was sure he could handle a Gumiho who was quivering like a leaf caught in the wind, who clearly wasn't at the top his game. The Gumiho drew back and squeezed his eyes shut, crying out when he saw Daniel attacking. It was the last thing the hunter saw before something flashed in the light and pain bloomed in his stomach region, not overwhelming but enough to halt him in his steps.

 

The Gumiho had finally shown his tails-- the subject of many legends and folklore that have existed for centuries-- and they were curled around the boy's body like a shield, ready to protect. They were majestic-- there was no other way to describe them. They were as black as the night, the fur thick and luxurious, each tail almost as long as the boy himself. They were tipped with sharp blades. The same ones that made the three, clean lacerations across Daniel's stomach. They didn't go in deep, but they were long and stretched across his entire torso and stung like a bitch.

 

The wounds didn't hold Daniel's attention for long.

 

Gumihos, according to fairy-tales, anyway, were supposed to have  _nine_ tails.

 

This one only sported six.

 

The boy looked pained as he struggled to stand. Where the rest of his tails should've been, there were only stumps. At least, the first two were. The fur around the ends was sparse and the wounds were probably sealed off by an average Healer at best who didn't do a very clean job of it. The last cut looked new, the skin jagged and uneven like it'd been sawed off in a painful, arduous process by someone who wanted it to hurt. The bloodied bandages were loose, coming off to reveal rotting flesh coated with corruption.

 

Daniel stood rooted to the ground, only now realizing why the Gumiho wasn't put up for display yet. He was in pain,  _hurting_. Injured on purpose. But that didn't tell Daniel why the boy would crawl willingly into a house of torture where he'd be tortured like this. Unless he didn't know he'd be mistreated this way, which was impossible as well. It was a known fact the brothels in this area weren't nice to their workers, constantly overworking them and milking for every bit of profit they could get. The prostitutes were all indentured to their respective procurers and if they wanted out of their contract, they'd have to pay an insane amount that rose every other day.

 

 _Meet him, locate his weakness, take a tail,_ he recited in his head like a mantra. But the Gumiho was nearly defenseless, too weak to even stand on his own two feet.

 

He only had six tails left-- was Daniel cold-blooded enough to leave him with one more bleeding stump? He'd heard of Gumihos before, listened to tales of their cruelty and the power they wielded, of how they were creatures who were as cunning as they looked. This one, despite his fierceness and sharp retorts, was practically at Daniel's mercy. His tails carried blades that could slice through skin like butter, but Daniel could tell even lashing out the first time had cost him a lot.

 

 _No._ He had to do this tonight, and he had to do it right. He'd built himself a reputation that warranted terror and struck fear in the creatures he hunted, all to join the one cause that would allow him to protect his people. He would not fail his mentor at the moment that mattered the most.

 

The alarm sounded, the noise piercing and high. His gaze fastened onto the Gumiho but the latter appeared just as confused as he was.

 

"Go," the Gumiho said, and it sounded like a plead for help. "If it was the vixen who let you in here, chances are she's sent someone up as well. You're not supposed to be here."

 

Daniel looked at the window, heart thumping in his chest like a rabbit running for its life.

 

"It's too high up here-- you won't make the jump. Hurry down the lift and walk out through the front door." The blades retracted back into the flesh with a sickening squelch and the boy looked like he might faint any moment soon. " _Now_." Daniel didn't know the reason behind the Gumiho's concern for his safety but he knew fear. The boy was dripping in distress, reeking of fear, a sure sign something bad was about to happen.

 

The rest passed in a blur. He remembered rushing out into the hallway and pushing through crowds until he was finally out of the brothel. When he was once again out on the street, surrounded by people who couldn't care less about who he was or what he'd just done, a wave of nausea passed over him. His actions tonight would have repercussions-- his mentor would make sure of it. Without thinking, he whipped around to take one last look at the brothel he'd just left, at the balcony where its whores perched on settees, peering down at the clamor and commotion of the red light district.

 

Standing in the middle of the group was the vixen, smirking as she raised a glass, the action more threat than toast.

 

His mentor was right: he wasn't ready for the initiation.

 

He was driven by hate and vengeance against the creatures that stalked the territories and took the lives of humans like they were candy. And now he'd just let one of these blood-letting creatures save him.

 

But Daniel never let a single debt go unpaid and this one was no different.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> hi guys this is gonna be quite a ride lemme tell you. i'll probably update this after i wanna let him take control ends (which is gonna be soon i promise)
> 
> leave me constructive criticism please! comments too. and kudos. and your love <333
> 
> twt: @nwspoiltmilk


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